Don’t fret and do anything drastic like fertilizing them. Newly potted up heirloom tomato plants may look limp and stressed the first day or two.You can cover the seed leaves and plant right up to the lower set of true leaves. Additional roots will form along the buried stem and give you a more vigorous plant. When potting the heirloom tomato plants up to larger pots, plant them a bit deeper than they were in the cell or original container.Watering, fertilizing, & soil considerations when potting up seedlings Remember…don’t handle the seedlings by the stem! Alternatively, you can snip off the weaker seedlings at the soil line and leave the strongest plant in the container to take advantage of the nutrients in the remaining soil. If you grow many seedlings in one large container rather than in cells, you will need to tease apart the roots from each seedling and then place in the hole of the 4″ container.Place the seedling plug into this hole and gently press the soil around it to make contact with the roots. Have a 4″ pot ready with moist potting soil and make a hole with your finger in the center of the soil in the 4″ pot. I grow my initial heirloom tomato plants in 196-cell trays, and when it is time to pot up I take a butter knife and gently pop the plant out of the cell with the soil bundle (aka a plug) intact.If you break the tender stem, the plant is ready for the compost pile. If you tear a leaf, the plant will still grow. Handle the seedlings by the leaves rather than the stems.How to handle tender seedlings when transplanting: A good rule of thumb when deciding when to do the second transplant is to wait until the height of the seedling is three times the diameter of its pot (probably around 6-10″ tall). ![]() Jump to: “When” to Transplant | How to Transplant | Troubleshooting Problems Light set-up over tomato and pepper seedlings When to Transplant Seedlings from Seed Tray to Larger PotsĪlthough the 4-week timeline for potting up seedlings is a good benchmark, another sign that they are ready is when they have two sets of true leaves (do not count the seed leaves at the bottom).ĭepending on the weather and when you are going to put the heirloom tomato plants in their permanent bed, you may want to pot up a second time. Potting up tomato and pepper seedlings is best done around the 4-week stage (or when they have 2 sets of true leaves). It is a huge benefit if seedlings are “potted up” from their original small cells into slightly larger pots before planting outside. Generally speaking tomato and pepper seedlings are ready to be planted outside in the garden about 6 weeks following germination. Home » Grow Your Own Food » Growing tomatoes & Peppers » Potting up seedlings
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